STATEMENT OF MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON SUPREME COURT DECISION ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

“The Supreme Court today wisely did not invalidate Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which was established in the 1960s to protect minority voters in areas of the country where voting suppression practices and laws had existed. Because of the effectiveness of Section 5, millions of voters are able to have access to the polls and elect the candidates of their choice. We filed an amicus brief supporting the constitutionality of Section 5, and we are relieved that the Court has preserved it. Unfortunately, by striking down the decades-old formulas in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which determines the areas of the country covered by Section 5’s Federal review, the Court has effectively placed Section 5 on ice, pending Congressional action. Since the 1960s and 1970s, some areas of the country have made enormous progress protecting voting rights – including New York City – while other areas where voting rights have been more recently imperiled have been free of Section 5’s Federal review. Today’s decision by the Court puts the onus on Congress to bring Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act into the 21st century, and Congress needs to find a way to come together and do so immediately.”